Azurá Stevens is showing why she could be key in Sparks’ success this season

While the Sparks are a work in progress, Azurá Stevens is showing how big of an impact she can make after a hot start to her season.

When you think of the 2025 Los Angeles Sparks, who is the first player you think of?

It’s likely Kelsey Plum, the superstar guard who just arrived from the Las Vegas Aces and is leading the team in points and minutes played. Or maybe it’s Dearica Hamby, the Team USA 3×3 bronze medalist, double-double machine, who has been one of the veteran leaders on this team over the past two years.

Or maybe it’s one of the young stars like Cameron Brink or Rickea Jackson.

All of these players are logical choices to consider, but one person who is also a key to L.A. maximizing its potential is Azurá Stevens.

She is off to a hot start this season, averaging 13.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.6 steals across eight games.

This is all by design and her increased role is part of what can lead to success for the Sparks.

“I think she fits perfectly in what we’re trying to do,” head coach Lynne Roberts said. “In essence, she’s like a 6’7” wing, right? And our system allows her to play to her strengths, where she, I think it’s probably from college, really understands cutting and spacing. And, with the way we want to play, she’s able to do a lot of that, a lot of catch and shoot. But the thing I’ve been most impressed with is just her physicality and willingness to defend and rebound.”

Last season, Stevens had a shot diet consisting mainly of baskets inside the paint and above-the-break 3-point shot attempts.

This season, there has been a substantial increase in her overall field goal attempts, including more corner 3-pointers, where she’s already taken more shots from that spot in 2025 than she did all of 2024.

Stevens’ solid start is not just an increase in shot attempts, but also an improvement in efficiency as her percentages are up across the board. She is shooting 48.2% from the field compared to 39.9% from last year. That improvement is happening while Stevens is taking 1.5 more shots per game.

Defensively, her 1.6 steals per game would be a career high. Her size enables her to switch onto smaller guards while still defending all wings and some small-ball centers.

While these numbers coming from Stevens might surprise people, Jackson is not at all shocked.

“Last year, she was battling the injury,” Jackson said. “So I feel like having a training camp, and she was killing it in Unrivaled, too. This is nothing new, Z’s a bucket. She got the perfect touch around the rim anywhere. She can do a little bit of everything. So, this is nothing new. She works her tail off, and I’m just proud to be able to witness it.”

Coming into the season healthy and having a strong year at Unrivaled has allowed her to hit the ground running in the WNBA.

Stevens was crucial to the team’s success. In the title game, she had a game-high 18 rebounds and had just as many points in the win.

Stevens has been a winner everywhere she’s played. In Chicago with the Sky, she won a title in 2021. In 2024, she won the inaugural Unrivaled championship and now she aims to help the Sparks get back to the heights they’ve previously reached.

Never the name that jumps off the page when looking at a roster, Stevens has proven she is a winning player, something the Sparks are seeing firsthand early this season.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.